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Committee discusses adopting specialized energy code, climate leader certification and grant opportunities
Summary
Members reviewed the Massachusetts specialized/stretch energy codes, the six Climate Leader Community certification requirements, and two grant tracks: up to $150,000 for technical support and up to $1,000,000 decarbonization accelerator grants for municipal projects. The chair recommended pursuing council action and drafting a resolution and roadmap.
The chair described Massachusetts's stretch and specialized energy codes and said the specialized code must be adopted as a town-council ordinance (the transcript references "ordinance DFY24-003, chapter 7.7 specialized energy code"). He said the specialized code "encourages the use of all electric heating, cooling, and hot water" and requires that fossil-fuel systems be prewired for future electric systems and that buildings provide wiring for solar and EV charging.
On the Climate Leader Community certification, the chair outlined six requirements including establishing a local committee, a municipal decarbonization commitment and road map, and an EV-first vehicle policy. He described two grant tracks tied to the certification: decarbonization technical support providing "up to a $150,000" for vendor assessments and engineering designs and decarbonization accelerator grants offering "up to 1000000 dollars" for projects that significantly reduce municipal greenhouse-gas emissions. The chair said application reviews occur three times per year and that November is the next window; he recommended drafting a resolution and approaching the town manager and council to prioritize certification and grant eligibility.
